Rush Limbaugh is Becoming Irrelevant

Image from Salon

It's been a very long trip from fringe to mainstream back to fringe. And I'm not confident enough to say that the age of the Glenn Becks and Rush Limbaughs is entirely over. Goodness knows, today's crop of GOP presidential candidates is squarely in formerly fringe territory, politically. Limbaugh and Co. did their job of driving the right to the very cliff. But it would seem that Limbaugh himself is going over the edge, and like Wile E. Coyote, he's kind of suspended in midair, maybe not yet realizing that he needs to throw up a "Yipes!" sign, and start grabbing for branches to break his fall.

I bought The Way Things Ought to Be and See? I Told You So, Limbaugh's first two big books for my grandmother, who was a fan, way back in the early 90s. I was a viewer of Limbaugh's ill-fated TV show, though never (ever) a fan. I still marvel that he was able to muster such an audience, because over the last 20+ years, I have listened periodically. He has literally never won me over to his side on any argument. Not ever. I've always been able to spot his manipulation tricks, his spin on a subject, his steering of his audience, the red meat nuggets he's lobbing, and mostly the lies he's telling. My B.S. detectors (honed by my skepticism toward religion, and other factors, including my coming to terms with being gay in a world that was not okay with it) are tripped by Limbaugh every single time, and very, very quickly. He might as well be a Jehovah's Witness or Mormon elder at my door on an early weekend morning: nothing he says sounds convincing, and I'm irritated by his effort.

So, I think I have a more honest appraisal of Limbaugh (and his ilk, many others I've also more than just sampled) than do conservative critics of the left. I'd wager that most people who make the false equivalence of MSNBC to FOX "News," for example, have watched very, very little MSNBC. People who believe there is such a thing as a "far left" in this country would have a very difficult time finding an analogue to Limbaugh on the left. Or pointing factually to the areas where such an analogue has dragged mainstream liberal Democrats to the fringe. Or finding a liberal version of the Tea Party with any real influence on politicians.

This is where Rush has done his job well. He's drummed into his audience (and it's seeped into "conventional wisdom") that there is a lockstep liberal media, that President Obama is a radical leftist, that conservative Republican white Christian males are under attack. That absolutely everything contrary to fringe conservative thought is anti-American, anti-Christian and a sinister conspiracy. Everything is an outrage, everything is orchestrated, and somehow liberals (or gays, naturally) are a united front with hidden diabolical motives. Because of Rush and his compatriots, conservatives will declare with conviction that President Obama hates America, and that destroying it is his number one priority. They'll declare that gay people do not seek equality, don't really want to get married, they want to destroy the family, destroy America, destroy Christianity.

I've long thought that permanent rage can't last forever. It's got to burn out. Or at least evolve. I've truly never understood why Rush managed to have such a stranglehold on his audience, given his four marriages, drug scandals, odd forays into island countries with Viagra, and other unsavory behavior. Like Sean Hannity, Limbaugh has no particular foundation in political science, no background education, he's just a guy on the radio. How "Rush is right!" became such a thing, and stayed a thing for so long is as baffling to me as the fact that Dr. Phil is a thing. Why? But Rush's shtick seems to finally be bringing about his undoing. [Story continues below, after my favorite anti-Rush video]



In today's age of social media and instant memes, when you say something egregious, it can zing around the world in a few minutes. So, after Limbaugh decided to go after feminist activist Sandra Fluke (with, let me point out, a rant that wasn't just appallingly sexist, but devoid of any grounding in reality whatsoever), he blew out some load-bearing supports below his career (not intended to be a fat joke, but hey, there you go). An advertiser boycott was launched. And it has been sustained. Rush has been shedding advertisers ever since, and finally, he's also shedding his biggest radio stations.

Unfortunately, it's had the effect of damaging the already hanging-by-its-fingernails liberal side of talk radio, given the same advertiser base. Which is the potential downside of a lot of boycotts, unintended consequences. While that hurts, I can't help but have a measure of glee at the slow plunge of Wile E. Limbaugh off the cliff. And I'll be happy to wait, neck craned and ear cupped for the soft "whump!" and cloud of dust when he finally hits bottom.

[Excerpt]

Rush Limbaugh is cooked: The stunning fall of the right’s angriest bloviator

The bad news just keeps coming for conservative talker Rush Limbaugh. Which bulletin was worse, though? The news in April that he was being dropped by WIBC in Indianapolis, a booming talk powerhouse that played home to Limbaugh’s radio show for more than two decades, or the news this week that the talker’s new address on the Indianapolis dial is going to be WNDE, a ratings doormat AM sports station that has so few listeners it trails the commercial-free classical music outlet in town? . . .

Read more at: Salon

Liberal Talk KTLK-AM in Los Angeles to Become Conservative "The Patriot"

The drugster. Image from source, LA Times.

Well, crap. I've been listening to liberal talk radio at work since 2004, when searching for The O'Franken Factor, Al Franken's original show on the late "Air America Radio." Since those days, there have been several challenges to continue listening. We've never had liberal talk in Las Vegas (even though we voted for Barack Obama twice), so I've always had to seek out online stations to get my fix. iheartradio.com has been my solution, but I've still had to change stations here and there.

KTLK-AM out of Las Angeles has been my primary home. From that station, I can listen to The Stephanie Miller Show (highly rated in LA, by the way), and The Randi Rhodes Show. The rest of my listening day is really just filler, since I don't much care for Ed Schultz, and since The Thom Hartmann Program is on at the same time as Randi. But now that's going to change.

For some reason, KTLK is being changed to a conservative station, in liberal Los Angeles, California, which already has talk radio on KABC, KFI, KBRT (Christian talk), KOSS, and KRLA. KFI (which currently airs Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity) will change to all local talk. This leaves my programming up in the air again. Allegedly, this is to somehow boost KTLK's ratings, when in fact it will lose its entire current audience, and apparently absorb most of KFI's. Since both radio stations are owned by Clear Channel, I'm not sure I understand what they're doing, besides killing two stations and alienating their audiences.

Stephanie Miller is much more entertaining than a
drug-addled gas bag.

I'm sure I'll be able to find Stephanie Miller and her mooks somewhere on the dial, as long as this squeeze doesn't force them off the air altogether. But this move inspires quite a bit of frustration, irritation, and anger for me. For one thing, how does the myth of a "liberal media" persist when there is so little outlet for liberal political opinion? Where does Clear Channel get off using a circa-2002 branding of "Patriot?" Why on earth would they think killing their KFI brand is a good idea (I'm no fan of KFI, but it's a huge name in LA for conservatives)? Why yank Stephanie Miller, who is huge in the LA market?

I know that radio is a fickle business, and that KTLK has managed to stay in one format for quite a while, despite shake-ups with Air America, Nova-M, shuffling lineups caused by time-slot changes, and other issues. And I also know that every station, pretty much, has an audience that feels alienated by every format change. I think this move is for the sake of movement though. KFI is already owned by Clear Channel, and already runs the shows that are shifting to KTLK. How can bumping both sets of audiences, and then paying a whole new roster of local hosts be more cost effective and profitable?

I will be sniffing the air for whatever station picks up Stephanie Miller and Randi Rhodes. If the LA market doesn't offer a suitable alternative, I'll take my listening ears elsewhere. And you know what? If that station offers something better than LA has on from 9-noon and after 3, I might just stick around for that too. And I really hope it's not Clear Channel.

[Excerpt]

Clear Channel moving Rush Limbaugh from KFI to revamped KTLK

Rush Limbaugh's radio tirades will have a new home on Los Angeles airwaves next year. KFI-AM (640) is losing the conservative host's three-hour show, long a fixture on the station, to KTLK-AM (1150), which owner Clear Channel is hoping to pump up as an outlet exclusively dedicated to right-leaning chatter. . .

Read more at: Los Angeles Times
 

Rush Limbaugh Lied to His Listeners About Election

Every sentient human who has ever listened to Rush Limbaugh knows that he is a dishonest man. You know it every time he says "Democrat Party." Rush says it like that--without the "ic" in "Democratic"--not because he doesn't know the proper wording. He says it because he knows it plays well with his audience. A small, but constant lie. But Rush tells much larger lies. And they are lies. Unlike a Sean Hannity, who I'm convinced is a dolt, and that he might actually believe what Mark Levin gives him to say, Rush knows better. He's a political showman. And he's an expert at knowing just how to play his audience, and what blend of truth, fiction, scare tactics, humor and warm fuzzies to feed his audience.

Occasionally, Rush will come right out and tell you he's lying. But even when he's lying, it's layered. He lies to cover a lie, and the contradiction reveals the lie. You follow me? Okay, to have it layed out for you (are you from Rio Linda?), watch this. You may start to see how Rush plays his audience

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Michael Weiner Savage: Chief Justice Roberts' Decision Due to Epilepsy Medicine

What a Weiner. Image from source, Raw Story.

One of the most fun things about news that rubs the right-wing the wrong way, is the whack-a-doodle justifications that come spewing from talk radio, FOX "News" and the blogosphere. They are many and varied at first, before they congeal into "group think." But it's the early hours and days, where you get crazy outliers, like this one from unlistenable talker, Michael Weiner Savage.

[Excerpt]

Michael Savage: Epilepsy medication to blame for Roberts’s health care ruling

Conservative radio host Michael Savage believes he knows why Chief Justice John Roberts joined the liberal justices to uphold President Barack Obama’s health care reform law: “cognitive problems” due to epilepsy medication. . .

Read more at: Raw Story

Herman Cain, Radio Star

Image from Mediaite

Annnnd, the first cast-off from the GOP primary clown show to cash in is? Herman Cain! Second- (third-?) string right-wing radio host Neal Boortz is retiring, and Captain 9-9-9 is taking his microphone! Next, I expect Rick Santorum to get his own show on FOX "News," and Michele and Marcus Bachmann to get a song-and-dance variety show on Logo!

[Excerpt]


Radio Host Neal Boortz To Retire, Will Be Replaced By Herman Cain

Long-time conservative radio talker Neal Boortz will announce his retirement today, according to a report. The announcement that contains Boortz’s retirement also says that former GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain will replace him early next year. . .

Read more at: Mediaite

FCC Decision Limits Right-Wing Radio Expansion

You go, liberal radio chick! Image from Think Progress.

Well, this is interesting. But I've got to wonder. . .how could right-wing talk radio expand exactly? As it stands, they're everywhere, on multiple stations in the same market, it every city across the country. Is there a hunger for more right-wing talk? If there was ever a market that was saturated, this one is it.

[Excerpt]


FCC decision strikes critical blow to right-wing radio dominance

A Federal Communications Commission (FCC) decision issued Monday (PDF) will clear the runway for hundreds of new community radio stations that broadcast on low-power FM signals, bringing progressive, community voices to urban areas that have for decades only known what’s being broadcast by major corporations and America’s political right. . .

Read more at: RawStory

Rush Limbaugh Listeners on Par with MSNBC?

Conservatives (and by conservatives, I mean the vocal, internet variety) love to say that nobody watches Rachel Maddow. Lawrence O'Donnell doesn't have any viewers. MSNBC is playing to six people. And they have a point, when they say that FOX "News" is the cable "news" juggernaut. It is. But Maddow gets about half (sometimes more, sometimes less) of the ratings her FOX competition, Sean Hannity gets. And I always want to shout, "two times nothing is nothing!" If Rachel gets no viewers, twice her viewership is also nothing!

Ahem. But most of us get defensive of our favorite things. Still, if Maddow's MSNBC show gets, say, 1.4 million viewers for her first-run show on an odd Wednesday. . .does the same amount of listeners to The Rush Limbaugh Misogyny and Racism 3-Hour Radio Hate-stravaganza equal "no listeners?" Because I  don't see the difference.


[Excerpt]

Rush Limbaugh's Audience May Be Much Smaller Than You Think

As Rush Limbaugh's show enters a second week largely without advertisers -- except, ironically, for government-sponsored public service announcements --  it's worth asking how big a sacrifice it is for brands such as AOL and AllState to stay away from the show.


. . .So there is it: Absent better data, only 1.4 million people listen to Limbaugh at any one time.

Read more at: Business Insider

Blast From the Past: "I'm a Nazi/He's a Nazi" by Rush Limbaugh!

Oh, hello there! Ever get caught in a Wiki-hole? That's when you look something up on Wikipedia (or other site), and one thing leads to another, and you burn up a couple of hours. Happens to me all the time, but this time it happened to me on my own blog! Is it narcissistic to re-read posts from my past? I dunno. Anyway, one gem wasn't even my work, and it is as relevant today as ever. It's "I'm a Nazi (He's a Nazi)" and it is actually "sung" by Rush Limbaugh through the wizardry of audio editing. Godwin's Law be damned, this is a masterful--and hilarious--work. It co-stars Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter and Bill O'Reilly. Enjoy!

Rush Limbaugh: Dead Air During Commercial Breaks

His schtick's getting old. Image from Raw Story

Glenn Beck was relegated to his own little corner of the internets when his advertiser abandoned him. Dare we wish that Rush Limbaugh's 20+ year reign could be coming to an end? I doubt it. But it would be nice if he was once again thought of as "fringe," along the lines of Morton Downey, Jr., like he used to be. A lot of people don't remember that in the early 90s, Limbaugh was the extreme right. Somehow, the Republican party's pendulum swung all the way to the right, into Limbaugh's wheelhouse. I'm still waiting to see what "far left" is.

[Excerpt]

Limbaugh broadcasts dead air during commercial breaks


The exodus of advertisers fleeing from Rush Limbaugh may finally be taking a toll on his radio show. Liberal watchdog group Media Matters noticed that on at least two occasions on Thursday, Limbaugh’s flagship station in New York, WABC, broadcast several minutes of dead air during commercial breaks. . .

Read more at: Raw Story 

Right-wing Talk Host's Hit & Run at Gay Bar

Nope, nothing phallic in this picture.
Image from Houston Press.

Oh, boy. A homophobic talk radio host/former politician busted outside a gay bar? No wonder he skipped out, he had a lot to lose! But, what a jerk, really. I'm starting to think that every right-wing homophobe is secretly gay. Not that I'm talking about anybody in particular (cough).

[Excerpt]


Police watch bar video in hit-and-run probe


Security camera footage from a well-known gay bar has played a key role in a hit-and-run investigation of a former Houston City Councilman, who is now a conservative talk show host, Local 2 Investigates reported on Wednesday. . .


Read more (with video) at: Click2Houston

What Happens in Vegas: Lies and Irony on Right-wing Talk Radio

I forgot to write about this yesterday. On my short trip home for work, I had the radio tuned to KXNT, the local Las Vegas right-wing talk station (now on FM and AM!!!). Alan Stock, the afternoon/evening host (whom I've tangled with in the past) had on a couple of local ladies who were fixing to raise a protest. I didn't hear enough of the conversation to find out what exactly they were protesting, but that isn't what's important. They didn't call themselves tea baggers specifically, but they were clearly aligned with them, even though they were a separate group. The ladies were making a great effort to portray themselves as previously apolitical, spurred by current events to speak out and protest. They were not backed by the money-rich, fancy pants unions, no, no! Just a genuine, grass-roots, citizen uprising, you betcha!

And then one of the ladies indicated that they were "partnered with" Americans for Prosperity. THAT'S RIGHT, the Koch-brothers backed faux grass roots group that funds much of the Tea Party!!! Unbelievable. No, wait, completely believable.

Before I arrived home, Stock had switched topics, and was onto a local proposed law to make pseudoephedrine allergy medicines available only by prescription. On this issue, I'm WITH the "conservative" side of the issue (though I'm completely unsure if there IS a partisan split on this one). I think it's stupid to have to go to the doctor to get a prescription for something that only MIGHT be used to make meth. But the hilarious part of the argument Stock and his callers were taking was just how MANY uninsured people there were in Nevada, and what a hardship this would be on them! EXACTLY! That's why we wanted single-payer universal health care, you DOPES!!!

It's Come to This: Talk Radio Uses Paid Actors to Call In

You know, the whole idea of advertising and marketing is to mold people's ideas, to get them to want your product, to believe your idea, to either buy or partake of your product. It's not so bad when it's just the art of persuasion, a mostly honest, above board sales pitch. But we all have been sold to by slimy salesmen, haven't we? Used car dealers have that reputation for a reason.

But it goes way beyond dishonest salesmen. There are commercials on the radio that use tricks like testimonials from people who sound like they're calling on the phone. . .even though they are actors reading from a script. They might employ ringing phones to sound like "operators are standing by." They might use misleading language, or emphasis on certain words to make it sound like they're saying something that they're not. There are a zillion different ways in which advertisers are trying to trick us. And if they have to trick you, how good could the product be?

As sad as it is, we actually expect sales people and advertisers to try to trick us. But it gets more insidious when the tricks are coming from places you don't expect. For instance, suppose you read a really interesting article in The Wall Street Journal or The New York Times, and you start reading the comments.  Even though the article is over something seemingly indefensible, you start reading comments from people who are bending over backward to defend it. You're like, "where do these people come from?" Well, some of them are very likely paid. And the same thing happens on talk radio. Those "real" people calling in to agree with the host? Paid to do it. Employed to do it.
This all falls right in line with the "Americans for Truth and Motherhood" types of groups, with their iStockPhoto fake people on their websites, and their known or unknown corporate sponsors. Supposedly "grass roots" organizations like the Tea Party, which may have "real" elements, but are driven by these corporate sponsored organizations. Is anything real anymore?

Mulder was right. Trust no one.

[Excerpt]

Limbaugh, Hannity, Beck Respond To News That Parent Company Hires Call-in Actors



On Sunday, the article, Limbaugh/Hannity Parent Company Admits Hiring Actors to Call Radio Shows, by Gustav Wynn, generated an explosive response on Twitter, in the blogosphere and subsequently, from Limbaugh, Hannity and Beck on their radio shows. . .
 
Read more at: Huffington Post

Quick Thought: Sean Hannity is a Moron

One of these men is a boob. The other was a
famous comedian.

On my "surprise" day off on Monday, I happened to catch a little of The Sean Hannity Show on the radio. Sean is much less irritating--voice-wise--than most right-wing radio hosts. But he's kind of a boob. If the rumors are true, he's kind of a front for Mark Levin's ideas anyway, which makes Levin's show not only redundant, but completely inexcusable. Though Sean tries to sound colloquial when he speaks, throwing in a bunch of "hey"s and "now"s, he sounds anything but natural.

But the reason for this post is just one point Sean was making the other day. A rare rogue caller was insisting that corporations--who can't (technically) vote--are not people. Sean didn't get into Supreme Court rulings, or analogies. He did weakly say that corporations are made up of people, but then his reasoning petered out. What actually came out of his mouth was, "Corporations ARE people." Not like people, not akin to people, people. I renew my opinion that Sean Hannity is a boob. And I'd like to see a corporation get a proctological exam.

Talk Radio Right vs. Left



Image from source, Politically Illustrated


While I confess that I'm excerpting and linking to the article below mostly to justify running the accompanying cartoon, I do have thoughts about why talk radio is more than 90% conservative. And my thoughts for the most part do not align with the writer (who has used a headline that doesn't have much to do with his article).

I've been a talk radio listener for quite a while, and a left-wing talk radio listener since 2004, when Air America Radio debuted. I had to listen on my computer at work, since there is no liberal station in Las Vegas. There are at least two conservative stations though, and there have been (and still may be) more of them I haven't sampled. At least two of them were--at least until recently--actually run on both AM and FM, making four right there.  This is not due to the political makeup of the Las Vegas valley or of Clark County, both of which are the most liberal areas of the state. It's not due to the availability of hosts, who manage to fill the schedule in some other cities. What is it due to?

I honestly don't know, but it it isn't entertainment value, as the writer below contends. The Stephanie Miller Show is uproariously funny most days, and quite entertaining. The Randi Rhodes Show would be entertaining to most liberals (at least those who don't have an aversion to strong New York accents). Thom Hartmann can be a bit cerebral, but his debates with bona fide conservatives are fascinating. But if you're like most people, you don't know who any of those people are. Air America went out of business a couple years ago, and the remaining active liberal hosts are thus at the mercy of station programmers. Station programmers who want talk radio go for conservative hosts by and large. Sometimes putting Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity on more than one station at the same time.

If this were solely a ratings game, I'd get it. But it's not. In those areas where left-wing talk has managed to get a foothold, many times they've been replaced by formats that perform worse.  Stephanie Miller beats Laura Ingraham when put head-to-head, and yet Ingraham is on many more (and higher power) stations. The writer below says that Limbaugh and Glenn Beck are endlessly entertaining. Okay, but how does he explain Michael Weiner Savage (certifiable) or Mark Levine (worst voice in radio)? The B-list, C-list, D-list and Z-list right-wing talkers far outnumber the A-list left-wing roster. They can't all be doing well in the ratings. There are just far too many of them, and they're all operating from virtually the same talking points!

I do agree with the writer though, that the right-wing talk radio listener prefers to have his own beliefs echoed, likes to get stirred up with the latest faux outrage, and is largely unencumbered by concern about fact-based radio hosts.

[Excerpt]

A Moment of Silence: Should the Fairness Doctrine Be Revived to Prevent Polarization in Politics?



The question was particularly intriguing considering its source: the host of a progressive radio show in Central California.


In terms of audience size, the canyon between right and left on radio’s political spectrum is huge. Top conservatives – Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck and Michael Savage – reach a combined audience of roughly 50 million listeners a week. The most successful liberal talk hosts, such as Ed Schultz and Randi Rhodes, each pull about 3 million weekly. . .

Read more at: Politically Illustrated

Glenn Beck & Goldline: Scam?

Image from source, Mother Jones

As a long-time listener of talk radio (yes, even the right-wing kind), I long ago started tuning out commercials, whenever possible. Many radio commercials are advertising shady products, in my opinion. For one thing, they use endless "tricks" to try to hook you, from testimonials that sound like they're over the phone for some reason, to pitchmen you've never heard of saying things like "and you know me, and know I've checked it out." They'll advertise for a product, and nowhere in the testimonials and ad copy really tell you what it is (as in those "work at home" commercials). They'll tell you that those with last names A-M call now! Those N-Z call first thing tomorrow! Or even call now, supplies are limited, operators are waiting!

Any pitch that is using trickery or falsehoods to get you to buy is advertising a shady product, right? And it gets worse when your favorite radio host is reading the ad copy. Glenn Beck isn't the only host who shills for gold. I've heard my favorites, Stephanie Miller, Thom Hartmann and Randi Rhodes selling gold, and it makes my teeth itch. But as far as I know, those hosts don't shill for Goldline, and I'm hopeful that that Goldline is in a class by itself here. Hope, hope, hope. . .

[Excerpt]

Glenn Beck's Golden Fleece



TUNE IN TO GLENN BECK'S Fox News show or his syndicated radio program, and you'll soon learn about the precarious state of the US dollar, a currency on the verge of collapse due to runaway government spending, a ballooning national debt, and imminent Zimbabwe-style hyperinflation. To defend yourself against the coming financial holocaust, Beck explained on his radio show last November, you need to "think like a German Jew in 1934, maybe 1931." And that means thinking about buying some gold. . .
 
Read more at: Mother Jones
 
Thanks to Stupid Monkey Planet for the link.

Glenn Beck's New Year Off to a Bad Start

Image from source, News Corpse

Do you think he'll cry?

[Excerpt]

Glenn Beck’s New Year Off To A Rousing Flop



First the good news: Glenn Beck dropped by New York’s WOR radio station over poor ratings. The largest commercial market in the country is ditching Glenn Beck. That’s gotta hurt. Especially since Beck’s Philadelphia affiliate previously announced that they were dumping him as well. Is this the beginning of a trend? . . .
 
Read more at: News Corpse

What Happens in Vegas: Rush Limbaugh Eats Local FM Station

When I'm in the car, I usually listen to an MP3 CD, conservative talk radio (to see what they're up to), or Jack FM.  Jack is a format of mixed 60s-00s music, and that's pretty much what my CDs are like.  I know it is derided for being programmed elsewhere, has no local flavor, and is essentially soulless.  But then listeners of Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck aren't looking for souls either, are they?

Lately, my listening habits have taken a hit.  The biggest conservo-talk station, KXNT, branded itself "News Radio" years ago, even though they weren't. They were talk radio. Hey, if FOX can call itself news, why not them?  But a recent shakeup of the station's format got it a little closer to the slogan. They removed Alan Stock from the morning, kinda neutered him, and stuck him in afternoon drive time. They replaced him with a jumble of a news show that is somewhat chaotic, and has no flow.  The former afternoon hosts, Casey Hendrickson and Heather Kydd, were 86ed, even though they were getting decent ratings (they've landed in a new gig though).  Consequently, the station--which used to get my blood boiling with all the wrong they were selling--is no longer much worth listening to. At least at drive times, which is the only time I listened.

Now, the new management has taken an even bolder step. They've hijacked my Jack FM station, and are replacing it with a simulcast of their diluted KXNT-AM programming.  Brilliant! Now Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity can be on two stations in the same town!  And still no liberal voices to be found.  I question the soundness of their decision.  I know that Jack wasn't burning up the ratings, but I suspect the same is true of KXNT lately.  I haven't been able to find any news on their current ratings, but if the buzz on the internet is to be believed, fans of their previous format are abandoning KXNT in droves.  I for one will be deleting the 100.5 FM button from my car stereo.

The new format--since it will be simulcast--will be referred to as, "NewsRadio KXNT 100.5 FM 840 AM" which is quite a mouthful.  Especially considering that the on air talent squeezes the name of the station in seemingly every 30 seconds.

Read more at: Radio-Info.com

Anthony Weiner Rips the GOP on 9/11 Vote

So, I'm tooling around Las Vegas, running errands this afternoon, and I decide to turn on the radio.  A firy voice I recognized as Congressman Anthony Weiner (D-NY) was tearing into the GOP on their refusal to vote for a bill that would compensate 9/11 rescue workers for a variety of health issues.  Then, the whiny voice of Sean Hannity cuts in, belittling Weiner.  Hannity is an unlikely superstar, a mental lightweight himbo in the large collection of "face-for-radio" Conservative yakkisphere.  His opinions--allegedly supplied to him by the excruciatingly unlistenable Mark Levin--are only believed by the true die-hard tea bagging crowd.  He simply has no ability to sell his message to anyone on the fence, or on the other side.  And he surely didn't convince me that there was anything wrong about what Weiner had to say.  In fact, I applaud Weiner for having the fire and the guts to say what needs to be said.  Too bad there aren't more like him in the Congress (in addition to Alan Grayson, that is).

What Happens in Vegas: Exiled Radio Team Finds New Home

I'm well known to be a lefty-liberal moonbat, but it wasn't always that way. Time was, I was a Reagan Republican. I shook that off years ago, and frankly, the nearly deified Reagan that right-wing talk radio rhapsodizes about these days bears little resemblance to what I remember.  As a lefty, how would I know that? Because I usually listen to right-wing talk radio in the car to-and-from work.  Oh, I'd probably listen to left-wing radio if I could, but no such animal exists in Las Vegas. Here--though we voted for Barack Obama and a slew of Democrats in the last election--we have three full-time (or one and a half to quote Casey Hendrickson) right-wing talk stations.  Supply and demand, my bippy. But that's a different blog post.

This one is about one station, 840 KXNT-AM (which they never get tired of saying, every other sentence) having shifted formats to a more newsy--but still right-wing--format, and dumping their evening talk duo. I've written about Casey Hendrickson and Heather Kydd before, not usually in glowing terms.  But they kind of got the bum's rush, having been highly rated. They're known as "team awesome" for unclear reasons, and had a youngish fan-base (being youngsters themselves). I've been following them on Facebook out of curiosity. So just to prove to them that not all liberals are big meanies, and "happy to see them fired," here's a free commercial for their new gig on one of those other right-wing stations. This time, it's a FOX "News" station, so I guess you could say they hit the big time.  So, good luck to team awesome. I've got a fairly tiny reach, but if I can help, I'm happy to.



From Hendrickson's Facebook Page: "Our new show will air starting Aug. 16th, 9-11am, Fox News 1280 KDOX."

Odd Timing: Las Vegas Right-wing Radio Changes Formats During Primaries

As I've mentioned before, I often partake in the swill that is right-wing talk radio on my short drive to and from work.  We have no liberal radio in Las Vegas, so what the hey. I figure it's opposition research for the blog.

The radio business is very changeable, with format changes occurring in the blink of an eye, usually with no warning.  Many markets that have had success with liberal talk radio for instance, have had their stations become all sports, all news, or even right-wing for no discernible reason.  But it's another thing altogether when a popular right-wing station shakes things up in the middle of primary season.

KXNT-AM 840 in Las Vegas is the home of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Mark Levin. To give it a little local flavor, they had Alan Stock in the mornings, and two winners of the American Idol-like "Radio Star," Casey Hendrickson and Heather Kydd in the evening drive time.  Limbaugh, Hannity and Levin are harshly anti-Obama, Reid and Pelosi needless to say.  Stock, Hendrickson and Kydd offered little difference in that regard.  Stock has a bit of D-list celebrity for having been featured on Hannity and Colmes and other FOX "News" programs.  Hendrickson and Kydd have been on for a while, but both were youthful, and seemingly a little too certain of their far-right views for their relatively young ages.  Whippersnappers, my grandpa would have called them.

The latter two were jettisoned late last week, and Stock was switched to late afternoon/evenings.  This bumped Levin's show to the late-night replay hours, and opened up the morning show for a news program.  I discovered this on my morning drive, where I was surprised to hear the news reporters--previously relegated to brief updates--running the whole show.  It was clear that the seams were still showing, with some rough transitions, and former bit performers becoming full-fledged hosts.  One segment, called "Strip Tease," was a 90-second report on the happenings on the Las Vegas Strip.  It was a potentially cool feature with a tragically lame name, and it was repeated in Stock's evening show.

Alan Stock is an arch conservative, and I have locked horns with him in the past (when KXNT had a message board). He seems to have softened a bit in recent years, but still functioned as of last week as a Limbaugh-lite.  Now, he's been shoe-horned into a "news" program, so it remains to be seen if it will be more punditry or actual news.

All of this comes at a curious time, politically speaking.  In Las Vegas, we're currently in early voting for the 2010 primary.  On June 8, the primary proper will be held.  Up for consideration are embattled Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Congresswoman Dina Titus and Shelly Berkely and our wacky Governor Jim Gibbons.  The entire former lineup was solidly in the hard-right conservative camp, with little tinges of Tea Bagger.  Things are heating up right. This. Minute.  So why would KXNT, the voice of Nevada's segment of Teabaggistan, change formats now?

To be sure, "Newsradio" KXNT's old motto: "Voices you know, news you trust" was never a very good fit. The only news they had was CBS on the hour (a news source right-wingers do not trust) and local news every half hour.  Maybe 4-1/2 minutes per hour were relegated to news?  Now at least, they have the morning news program, and Stock's questionably newsworthy evening show. 

And whither Hendrickson and Kydd?  If they follow in former Stock co-host Heidi Harris's footsteps, they'll land at a different right-winger station, and do well.  I'd lay higher odds (this is Vegas, after all) on Hendrickson than Kydd.  Hendrickson has developed into a pretty good radio professional, despite my 180-degree difference in his politics.  Kydd on the other hand has never felt completely cooked.  She's pretty though, so maybe she could end up as a FOX "News" Anchorbabe.

My biggest happy dance is because of the fact that Levin has been banished to late-night.  This loud-mouthed, whiny, incredibly hard to listen to ("there, I said it!) scumbucket is only half a notch better than the vile, contemptible Michael Savage. Ironically enough, Savage plays at the same time--on a different station--from Levin's old slot. So if Stock loses ratings to anybody, it will be to Michael Weiner Savage! Schadenfreude, baby.